News Item: NHS COVID-19 App Launched for England and Wales

The new NHS app for Covid contact and trace has been launched in England and Wales today.  Features of the app include contact tracing using Bluetooth, risk alerts based on postcode district, QR check-in at venues, symptom checker and test booking with user privacy and data security at its heart.

From today certain businesses in England are required by law to display the NHS Test and Trace QR code so customers with the NHS Covid-19 app can use them to check-in. QR codes will help businesses meet their legal requirement to log contact details and allow public health leads to send alerts based on whether people have checked in at venues.

To manage this risk, establishments in the following sectors must request contact details from staff, customers and visitors, and display the official NHS QR code poster:

• hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
• tourism and leisure, including hotels, museums, cinemas and amusement arcades
• close contact services, including hairdressers, barbershops and tailors
• facilities provided by local authorities, including community centres, libraries and village halls

A full list of organisations within scope in these sectors can be found in annex A.

Venues in Wales that are legally required to collect and keep a record of visitors will still need to do so.

Click here for more information.